In The News

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was established in 1981 by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE, with all agreeing to some common objectives based on their Islamic beliefs in trade, security, agriculture and investment. Plans include uniting around a common market in 2008, which will “move beyond the free movement of goods and services that has been agreed upon in the GCC customs...

African countries, writes South African consultant Dianna Games, cannot afford to let globalization be foisted upon them. Instead, governments on the continent must actively engage in global trade and politics, so that “the benefits of the global order” will no longer elude Africans. Governments must move beyond international links built primarily to exploit Africa’s natural resources. That...

Governments with ample supplies of energy products find it easier to commit human-rights violations. Governments can use their oil and gas products to "buy their way out of trouble," writes political scientist Michael Ross for the Los Angeles Times. "Myanmar is Asia's fastest-growing petroleum exporter; China is the world's fastest-growing importer," he writes,...